KODAK, Tenn. --- Luke Orr went 4-for-6 with seven RBI and scored four times as third-seeded Newberry defeated No. 2 seed Tusculum 18-11 Saturday night in an elimination game of the 2021 Pilot Flying J South Atlantic Conference Baseball Championship at Smokies Park.
With the win, Newberry (24-14) advances to play on Championship Monday, along with No. 4 Wingate (2-1) and No. 5 Carson-Newman. The Pioneers fall to 30-11 on the season and will await a possible at-large berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament which will be held later next month.
Newberry recorded 15 hits, seven walks, and three hits batters, while taking advantage of three Tusculum errors. The Pioneers posted 15 hits, five walks and four hit batters, but TU stranded 14 runners on base during contest that used 12 combined pitchers and took four hours and 25 minutes to play.
The 18 runs allowed by the Pioneers are the most surrendered by a TU team in a SAC Tournament game. The previous high was 13 runs allowed on two occasions.
Newberry's Jack Harris, Colin Allman, Nick Butler and Zane Tarrance each had two hits for the Wolves. Brandon Trammell and Zane Keener led the Pioneers with three this each, while Bryson Ford, Fuzzy Furr and Chase Wullenweber each accounted for multiple-hit outings.
Tusculum jumped out to 3-0 lead in the first inning as Daalen Adderley belted a three-run homer to left field. For Adderley, it was his eighth home run of the season and third against Newberry.
The Wolves plated six runs in the top of the second inning as 11 players went to the plate. Orr highlighted the inning with his two-run double as Newberry led 6-3. TU got a run back in the bottom of the second as Keener posted his seventh double of his rookie campaign and later scored on Ford's two-out RBI single to make it a 6-4 game.
Both teams plated two runs apiece in the third inning. Orr came through with a two-out, two-run double, while Furr and Keener each had RBI base hits in the bottom of the frame as Newberry held onto an 8-6 lead.
After scoreless fourth and fifth innings for Newberry, the Wolves punched through with a run in the sixth and five more in the seventh to take a commanding 14-6 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Tusculum got three runs back as TU loaded the bases and got a RBI walk from Ford, while Trammell and Adderley were hit by a pitch to bring home two more runs as Tusculum trimmed the score to 14-9.
Newberry added four runs in the top of the ninth including an Orr two-run single and a Harris two-run homer to seal the victory.
Wolves' relief pitcher Bryce Peterson picked up the win out of the bullpen as he went 4.1 innings, allowed five hits, three runs, two walks and six strikeouts to improve to 5-0 on the year. TU starter Tyler Harmon (3-2) suffered the loss.
